Tractive type relay



May 21, 1935. J. F. MERKEL 2,002,475

' TRACTIVE TYPE RELAY Filed June 19, 1951 FIG. 1.

FIG- .6.

FIG 4 FIGS.

15 INVENTOR We 7 if; BY z W @MMM VATTORNEY Patented May 21, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACTIVE TYPE RELAY Application June 19, 1931, Serial No. 545,402

8 Claims.

This invention relates in general to relays adapted for railway use, and has more particular reference to relays of the two-position tractive type.

Among the objects of this invention is to provide a tractive type relay which is compact in design and rugged in construction. A further object is to provide bearings for the armature and contact structure, which are designed to produce a minimum amount of friction between the bearing surfaces.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawing, and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a top view of a relay constructed in accordance with the present invention with certain parts shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the relay of this invention with certain parts shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the relay of this invention with, certain parts shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the armature bearing, as viewed on the section line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the armature bearing, as viewed on the section line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and, s

Fig. ,6 is a fragmentary sectional View of the contact mounting, as viewed on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

With reference to the accompanying drawing, the tractive type relay of the present invention is illustrated as including a U-shaped electro-magnet mounted on a vertically disposed terminal board 5 (see Fig. 2). The electro-magnet includes two core members 6 and I having extensions 8 and 9 that pass through a back strap II] which is secured thereto by suitable nuts. This U-shaped core structure is then mounted on the terminal board 5 by the extensions 8 and 9 passing through suitable countersunk holes with nuts II and I2 threaded thereon. Located on each of the core members 6 and l are coils I3 and I4 respectively, which, 7 when suitably included in control circuits, serve to actuate an armature I5 from-its normally deenergized biased position, to

its energized attracted position, as illustrated in the drawing.

The armature I5 is supported by a member 20 which is a flat strip of metal, preferably of some non-magnetic material, which has two holes through which the core members 6 and I may pass. This support member 20 is secured to the core members 6 and l by rivets 2I, 22, 23 and 24 passing through the shoulders forming the pole faces of the core members 6 and l. A slot 25 in the support member 20 extends vertically from the top of member 20 to the hole provided for core member I. The lower portion of support member 20 is bent at right angles to the plane in which the pole faces of the core members 6 and I are located.

Two indentations 2B and 21, one on either side of the support member 20 (see Fig. 4), are provided for the passage of two extending arms 28 and 29 of the armature I5 (see Fig. 3). A cotter key 30 passes through suitable holes within the extending arms 28 and 29 beneath the support member 20, which suitably secures the armature I5 in positions.

A bolt 32 is riveted to the support member 20 and passes through an extending arm 33 which is suitably riveted to the armature I5. This extending arm 33 is biased toward the extending portion of the support member 20 by a coil spring 34, the tension of which is adjustable by threading the lock nuts 35 against a cupped washer 36. A key 31 is passed through the upper end of the bolt 32 insuring that the bias will not be inadvertently removed from the armature by loosening of the lock nuts 35.

In Fig. 5, it will be seen that the armature I5 is provided with a flat surface which is parallel to the flat surface of the support member 20, when the armature I5 is in an attracted position, as illustrated. This provides a maximum of contacting surface. When the armature I5 is allowed to assume its biased or retracted position, it is pivoted upon the edge l5 which rides upon the flat surface of the support member 20. This arrangement serves to reduce the friction between the armature I5 and the support 20 by providing a knife edge hearing.

The armature I5 is attracted toward the pole faces of the core members 6 and I when either one or both of the windings I3 and M are energized. This movement of the armature toward the pole faces of the core members 6 and I is limited by the residual pins 40 and 4| which are pressed into recesses in the core members, and are of some suitable non-magnetic material.

The magnetic characteristics of the relay may be altered by varying the number of copper slugs or short circuited windings 42 located upon the respective core members 6 and l; and also by varying the number of magnetic shunting strips 43. The function of the short-circuited windings 42 iswell understood by those-skilled in the art; while the function of the magnetic shunts 43 in combination therewith is more specifically described in the pending application of O. S. Field, Ser. No. 358,198 filed April 26,-1929,.

which became Patent No. 1,824,130 on September 22, 1931. I

Two finger support members 45 and :48 are attached to an insulated member 41 by suitable rivets, which member is in turn secured to the armature if: by suitable rivetsw ith an intervening strip 33 of insulating material. This arrangement insulates the two contact supports from each other and from the armature.

Contact fingers 50 and 51 are respectively mounted on the contact support members 45 and 46 with a fiat surface bearing similar to that described for the armature 15,, but diifering in that arms 52 and 53 project through holes in the contact support members 45 and AB respectively, with the contact fingers biased in a downward direction by coil springs '54 and 55. ,These springs 54 and 55 are suitably tensioned and are maintained in such positions by suitable pins 56 and 51.

The respective contact fingers 50 and are biased towards central positions by suitable springs mounted upon their respective supporting pins. For example, the contact finger 50 is passed over pin Bil which is suitably riveted to the contact support member 45. This pin 86 is provided at the center with a shouldered portion Gil which is equal in breadth to the contact finger 50. Onlopposite sides of this shoulder til coil springs 61. and 62 are respectively located within cupped washers B l, thereby providing that the contactv finger 5i! will assume a central position when 'the armature I5 is mid-way between'its energized and deenergized positions. In other words, the coil springs fil and 62 provide the contact pressure when the armature i5 is in energized and deenergized positions respectively. It willbeobvious, that the coil spring 52 must beplac'ed in position with its cupped washers 64; during the assembiy at which time thepin, to "is riveted to the support member--65; while the coil spring-1- may be secured in position after the location of the contact finger 50 by suitably inserting'akey 65.

The holes in the cupped washers 64 are not suificiently large to pass over the shoulder 60*, which-causes the finger 50 to be centered although the tension of the springs 81 and 62 might be slightly unequal. 1

A block it of some suitable insulating material is provided with a bolt H- which has a lug portion H extending into a recessin the block and into which a stud bolt 12 is threaded. This stud bolt 12 with a nut82 serves tosecure the block 16 to the terminal board 5.

Front and back contact supports 73 and 14 respectively are held in position upon this block it by bolts 15 and 16 respectively. Front and back contacts 17 and 18 respectively, of some suitable material such as coin silver, platinum iri'dium or the like, are respectively riveted to the contact supports 13 and 74. These contacts 11 and 18 are adjusted to cooperate with their respective contact fingers 50 and 5|, which have contacts 79 and 80 of like material riveted thereto. It is to be understood that various circuits may be opened and closed by the relay contacts, when such circuits are properly connected to the terminal posts l5 and '16 of the fixed contacts and the terminal posts 83 and 84 of the movable contacts. Also, the contact arrangement may be varied so. that the contact fingers so and 51 might each have cooperating front and back contacts.

It is obvious that the movement of the armature 15 from one position to the other will gain momentum which will be dissipated in the compression of the centering springs for the respective movable contact fingers 55] and 5!. Thus, any oscillation or rebound occurring at the completion of each armature movement will merely vary the 1 tension on the springs of the movable contact fingers without such contact fingers disengaging their respective fixed contacts of the corresponding position.

Having described a relay mechanism constructed and arranged according to the present invention, it is desired to be understood that this form is selected to facilitate in the disclosure of the invention rather than to limit the number of forms which it may assume; and, it is to be further understood that various modifications, adaptations and alterations may be applied to the specific form shown, to meet the requirements of practice, without in any manner departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention ex.- cep-tas limited by the appended claims. I

, Having described my invention, I now'claimIzQ- 1. In a relay mechanism, an L-shaped contact support, a contact finger having a fiat surface for riding on the lower portion of said L-shaped contact support, means biasing said fiat surface of said contact finger against said'lower portion of said L-shaped contact support, wherebysaid contact finger is pivotally movable in two directions, spring biased means in equilibrium for biasing said contact finger in bothof said two directions with respect to the upper portion of said L-shaped contact support, and fixed contact means cooperating with said contact fingerQ V I 2. In a relay mechanism, an armature, a fiat surface pivotal mounting for the armature, a contact finger pivotally mounted on said armature movable in either of two dire'ctions only, means biasing the armature in one direction, means biasing said contact finger toward a mid position with respect to said armature in both of said two directions, means preventing the actuation of the contact finger beyond said mid-position by the biasing means, and fixed contact means cooperating with said contact finger, whereby a circuit may be opened and closed by said contact finger in accordance with the movement of said armature. 3. In combination for use in .a relay, a'support, an armature pivotally mountedto cooperate with the support, said armature having a'fiatsurface bearing, with an edge of said fiat surface at times acting as a knife edge bearing, means biasing said armature to one position, resilient mov-.

able contacts mounted on saidarmature, fixed contacts adapted to cooperate with said movable contacts and means preventing rebounding of the armature caused by the resiliency of the movable contacts.

4. In a relay mechanism'the combination of a flatfaced support, a contact finger having a hat faced edge bearing on the fiat face of the support,

elastic means biasing the two fiat faces into contact, whereby rocking movement of the finger relative to its support breaks the fiat face contact and produces a knife edge bearing connection between the contact finger and support; and opposed means biasing the contact finger toward a mid-position with respect to said support wherein the opposed biasing means cannot actuate the contact finger beyond said mid-position.

5. In a relay mechanism, the combination of a flat faced support, a contact finger having a fiat faced edge bearing on the fiat face of the support, the support being apertured, a stem on the finger extending through the aperture, elastic means on the stem for biasing the two flat faces into contact, whereby rocking movement of the finger relative to its support breaks the fiat face contact and produces a knife edge bearing connection between the contact finger and support and means biasing the contact finger toward a mid-position with respect to said support wherein the opposed biasing means cannot actuate the contact finger beyond said mid-position.

6. In a relay for controlling circuits of large current carrying capacity, in combination, two vertically spaced electro-magnets, a vertical armature coacting with the two electro-magnets, front and back fixed contacts, movable contacts cooperating with said fixed contacts, means biasing the armature away from the electro-magnets, oppositely arranged contact biasing means normally centering the movable contacts relative to the armature, and means preventing the actuation of the movable contacts by the contact biasing means beyond said centered relation to the armature.

7. In a relay for controlling circuits of large current carrying capacity, in combination, an armature, an electro-magnet operable to attract the armature, means biasing the armature to a retracted position, front and back fixed contacts, movable contacts cooperating with said fixed contacts, means resiliently holding the movable contacts in a definite position relative to the armature and preventing the actuation of the movable contacts by the resilient holding means beyond said definite position.

8. In a relay mechanism, a fiat faced support, an armature transversely disposed relative to the support, a fiat faced surface on the armature operable into engagement with the fiat face of the support, and a bifurcated end on the armature constituting means limiting longitudinally movement of the armature on the support but permitting rocking movement of the armature on the support in two directions only wherein an edge of the fiat face surface of the armature forms a knife-edge bearing between the armature and the support.

JOSEPH F. MERKEL. 

